


Halfway

by Halrloprillalar (prillalar)



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: High School, M/M, Xmas Ouji Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 05:30:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9108586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prillalar/pseuds/Halrloprillalar
Summary: Oishi goes to a different high school. Eiji adjusts.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Yrindor](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Yrindor/pseuds/Yrindor) in Xmas Ouji 2016.
> 
> More slashy than slash but it's Golden Pair so it's all the same thing, right? :)

The first day of high school Eiji wakes up at 5 am. He's at school way too early to meet Fuji so he stands on his hands beside the gate until the teacher on duty tells him to cut it out.

"Let's go see the tennis club," he calls as Fuji comes into view, five minutes before their agreed time.

"We have to go to assembly," Fuji says with a smile. "First years can't cut on their first day."

"After then." Eiji bumps his shoulder against Fuji's as they walk. He's glad to have someone beside him. He feels smaller than he thought he would and he forgot to look at the campus map. But they're here now, no more kid stuff, the best part of their youth ahead of them. "We'll go to the Interhigh this year!" He's been longing to say that for weeks.

"Eiji," Fuji says, touching Eiji's sleeve. "I'm not joining the tennis club. It's time for a change."

Eiji stops in his tracks. He turns to complain to Oishi, but Oishi isn't there.

+

Inui is in the tennis club, at least. But he's the only one from last year's Regulars. Eiji expected Yamato to be there, but he's retired too and the captain is someone Eiji doesn't know. He texts the news to Oishi and has to run five laps for not paying attention to the captain's Very Important Speech, the earliest in the year anyone has ever been punished, at least according to the captain.

First-years have to pick up balls and set up nets and that rankles. National champions should be above that sort of thing. But Inui brings a device that he swears will pick up balls in one-third the usual time and even if that's not true, he's so excited about using it, no one else has to deal with the balls.

Everyone else is Eiji and five new boys. Mori, the second year who's in charge of them, calls Eiji over.

"This is Iwaki." Mori pushes a new boy forward. "He specializes in doubles too."

Iwaki looks dumb and his hair is boring. "Hi," he says. "Let's go to the Interhigh together."

"I'm a singles player," Eiji says.

+

On Saturday afternoon Eiji takes his racquet and goes to meet Oishi. There's a broken down court about halfway between their houses. Last year Oishi said it was too terrible to use.

He's there already, sitting on a bench bent over a book, _organic chemistry_ the cover says, but when Eiji calls out, he stands up and smiles.

Eiji vaults over the net and grabs him in a hug. The chemistry book falls onto the court.

"Eiji!" Oishi says, in his chiding-but-not-really-because-it's-Eiji voice and hugs Eiji back.

"Your hair is so shaggy!" Eiji tugs at it. "Is that your new look?"

"I haven't decided." Oishi picks up his racquet and a ball. "How is high school?"

They hit for a while, not a real match, and Eiji tells Oishi about high school, about Fuji's photography club project and Inui's Zip-It Ball Tornado and the chicken curry in the cafeteria. About the dare group he's in with three other boys in his class, how Eiji's dare was to put dry ice in all the third-year classrooms and how he got all but one finished before being caught.

"What about your school?" Eiji asks. He hits a cross-court forehand more seriously than he means to and Oishi scrambles for it. The court behind him feels lonely without Oishi there instead of across the net but Eiji is a singles player now so he'll get used to it.

"It's good," Oishi says. "Really busy."

"What's the tennis club like?" Eiji goes up to the net just so he can watch the Moon Volley sail over his head.

"I'm not in any clubs," Oishi says.

+

"Let's go out," Eiji says to his friends. "To celebrate the first month of Dare Group."

They all pile out to karaoke. On the way, Eiji messages Oishi to meet them there. "You'll like him," he tells the boys. "He sings really well."

Eiji watches the door of the booth while he sings and dances but it doesn't open, at least not before they're thrown out for being too noisy, and it's not until the morning that Eiji sees Oishi's message, apologizing at 2 am. 

+

Oishi apologizes again when they meet for tennis, jumping up from the bench and spilling flash cards everywhere. They have drawings of molecules on them in red and green ink, notes in Oishi's tiny perfect writing.

"Can't you get these on your phone?" Eiji asks.

"I remember better if I write them out," Oishi says, just before he double faults.

"When are you going to cut your hair?"

Oishi rubs his eyes and looks at his watch. "I have to leave early today."

+

"If you played doubles," Inui says, "they might let you play in the spring tournaments." His right hand is bandaged from an incident with the Zip-It Ball Tornado and he's making backwards facing notes with his left.

"I don't care," Eiji says. Anyhow, he's working on a plan to get the captain to let him try out regardless. The plan is to challenge him to a tennis match and beat him. He's going to ask for Oishi's help this weekend so he can make a game plan.

Eiji's phone chimes and he grabs it from his bag, hiding it behind a book called _99 Tricks for Singles Mastery_ so he can avoid more laps. It's Oishi, calling, not messaging. Eiji slides his phone in his pocket and runs to the bathroom but by the time he gets there it's gone to voice mail.

He locks himself inside a stall and listens to the message. _Eiji, I can't come out to tennis any more. I'm really sorry but I have cram school classes then. Call me when you get this._

Eiji kicks the stall door. He wants to throw stupid Oishi's stupid message into the toilet but he only got the phone a month ago. He pulls all the toilet paper out into a heap instead and kicks it too like it's Oishi's stupid butt.

Then he goes back to the courts and finds Iwaki.

+

Texts from Oishi cover Eiji's screen for a few days but he dismisses them all. Then they stop. Which is good, because Eiji is busy.

The dare group hide thirty alarm clocks around the classroom but they're caught and Eiji has to do extra cleaning for a week.

At tennis club, he's playing doubles every day. Iwaki is okay and their game is getting stronger. He knows a lot of formations and he's good at sign play, even if he doesn't know Eiji's favourite food or TV show or why Eiji can't hear the word "bubble" without giggling.

Fuji comes by the courts to take some photos. He waves and Eiji goes over to meet him. "Oishi called," Fuji says.

"Tell him he's been replaced." Eiji grabs Iwaki around the neck when gets back to the court and Iwaki stares at him.

+

"Let's hit some more," Eiji says after practice is over. He takes Iwaki to the broken down court.

"I thought you wanted to practise," Iwaki says. "We can't play here." He swings his bag over his shoulder. "I'll meet you at school early if you want to work on formations."

Eiji watches him go. He sits down on the bench and stares at the court. There's a torn card beside the bench with a molecule drawn on it in green and red.

He picks it up.

+

Eiji is still sleeping in on Saturday when his sister drops an envelope on his face. He sits up and rubs his eyes.

"Someone left it outside the door for you," she says.

Eiji yawns and turns it over. His name is written on the front in tiny perfect writing. He holds it for one, two, three breaths. Then he tears it open.

It's a piece of heavy paper, covered in photos. Photos of Eiji and Oishi. Playing in tournaments. Laughing in the school atrium. Out for hamburgers. A practice match against Momo and Echizen. Holding their medals from Nationals, Eiji biting his. And at the bottom Oishi has written: _No matter how busy I am, I won't forget the Golden Pair._

"Stupid Oishi," Eiji says and rubs his eyes some more to get the sleep out.

+

When Oishi gets out of cram school, Eiji is waiting for him. Oishi's eyes go wide and Eiji can tell he's worried he's going to get yelled at.

"I thought you replaced me," Oishi says. His hair is parted at the side, hardly styled at all. He looks like a business man.

"I have a new doubles partner," Eiji says. "But I could never replace Oishi."

Oishi's face lights up, match-point bright. Then he frowns, just a bit. "I'm really sorry, but I can't go out. I'm just busy all the time with school now."

"I know." Eiji takes the book bag from Oishi's shoulder. It's heavier than he was expecting and he sways just a little as he settles it on his shoulder. "I came to walk you home."

Oishi smiles and Eiji smiles and they start walking. Eiji tells Oishi about the alarm clocks and Oishi tells Eiji about his inorganic chemistry exam. They pass a vending machine and Eiji buys a can of juice. They pass it back and forth until it's done.

When they get to Oishi's house, they stand outside for a few minutes, finishing their stories.

"I'll meet you next week," Eiji says.

Oishi takes the bag from Eiji's shoulder. "Eiji," he says. "Why don't you call me Shuuichirou?"

Eiji grabs Oishi around the chest and hugs him, arms tight and eyes closed and cheeks pressed together. "Because it's too hard to say."


End file.
